Container

ABSTRACT

A container designed principally for footwear has a corrugated liner board or fiberboard base and a thermoformed plastic lid that is securely attached to the base. The lid is preferably clear so that the contents of the container may be seen through the lid. The lid is attached to the base with a series of tabs that engage cooperatively formed openings in the base and the lid has side edges that engage the edges of the base. The lid is secured in the closed position with tabs formed on the forward edge of the lid that engage openings in the base. The inventive container protects articles held therein during shipping and storage, and displays the articles both before and after sale.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of packaging, and more particularly,to a container designed for use with any variety of goods, butespecially for footwear, said container comprising a combination ofmaterials including corrugated fiberboard and plastic.

BACKGROUND

The market for consumer footwear is notoriously competitive and thereare numerous footwear manufacturers competing for a share of thatmarket. The intense level of competition in the footwear industry isfound in nearly every market sector, and regardless of the particulartype of shoe. However, the competition is perhaps most keenly focused inthe market sector pertaining to active shoes, outdoor shoes and athleticshoes. In this market sector as well as others, competitors areconstantly searching for ways to increase sales and market shares. Someof the most successful, and thus commonly used marketing techniques, arevery familiar to most consumers. Examples include rapid introduction ofnew styles, product endorsements by famous athletes, intense brand namemarketing and promotion, and advertising directed to specific consumergroups such as consumers falling into specific targeted demographicgroups. These techniques along with other marketing activities help givefootwear manufacturers a competitive edge in a highly competitivemarket.

Traditional shoeboxes are sometimes utilized for marketing purposes inaddition to their more traditional function. Shoes of all types areusually packaged in traditional rectangular shoeboxes manufactured fromsome kind of paperboard, often corrugated liner board (typically called“cardboard”). However, while such boxes serve an accepted functionalrole of storing and protecting the shoes, they do little to promote theproduct itself, other than minimal promotional information printed onthe boxes.

While there are many different styles of shoeboxes, nearly all of themare variations on a standard theme: a rectangular box that is usuallymade of corrugated or heavy fiber board. Such boxes are useful for manyreasons. From a purely functional point of view, rectangular shoeboxesprovide a reasonably secure internal compartment for storing the shoesafter manufacturing, and all the way from the factory to the consumersales outlet. And traditional boxes are easily stacked, whether forshipping in containers from an offshore manufacturing location to awarehouse, for storage in a warehouse or a retail outlet, or for storingproduct for consumer inspection at warehouse-type retail outlets. Whilethe internal compartment of a rectangular box is not custom designed tohold a pair of shoes, most shoes are held reasonably well in a standardbox when the shoes are nested in the traditional opposed orientation,and generally with a tissue paper sleeve inserted between the shoes toprevent them from rubbing together and scuffing, and to protect theshoes from the box.

But in addition to their functional benefits, traditional rectangularshoeboxes serve another purpose, and that is as a part of the marketingplan. Nearly all shoe manufacturers try to use their product packagingas part of their overall marketing programs designed to sell theproduct. Thus, many shoe manufacturers print graphics and otherpromotional information on their boxes. Even though this marketinginformation may be visible only on the sides of the boxes since boxesare usually stacked, the space can be used as advertising space.Moreover, the box may be printed with information about the shoes—sizesand the like.

Another kind of container useful for footwear is the plastic containershown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,815. In addition to providing a securepackage for protecting the shoes, this container is clear so that itprovides a way for consumers to see the shoes without opening thepackage.

There are several problems evident in traditional shoeboxes. First, thestandard rectangular box design necessarily takes up more space than isneeded to contain the shoes. Even when nested in an opposed orientation,a pair of shoes defines a shape that is seldom a regular rectangle, andas a result, most standard shoeboxes have excess materials and take upmore space than is necessary. These factors increase costs of theproduct. For example, minimizing the amount of raw material used to makethe box could reduce material costs tied up in the packaging. Likewise,eliminating excess packaging material that takes up added space canreduce shipping and storage costs.

Second, most shoeboxes are made entirely of some form of paper—usuallycorrugated or a heavy paperboard. While such materials tend to make arelatively strong container, they can be crushed and are subject tomoisture absorption and damage. Moisture damage to cardboard can be asignificant problem. And even broken-down corrugated boxes designed forshoes tend to take up a significant amount of space. Further, the boxesmust be manufactured in one location as blanks, shipped to anotherlocation where they are set up as boxes. Finally, raw material costs forcorrugated are increasing at a steady rate, making the economics ofusing all-corrugated less and less favorable.

But perhaps the greatest shortcoming of traditional, rectangular,all-fiberboard shoeboxes is their limited ability to enhance productsales. As noted above, most shoe manufacturers print promotionalinformation of one kind or another on their shoeboxes, includingtrademarks, logos and the like. This is valuable to a degree in sellingthe product. But corrugated and other fiberboards are inherently opaque,and as such, a consumer must open the box to look at the shoes containedinside. Shoe manufacturers want their consumers to look at theirshoes—the appearance of the shoe is an important factor in theconsumer's decision on what to buy. It can be difficult to pull a boxout of a stack of boxes, open it to look at the shoe, and then replacethe shoe in the box in even a relatively neat fashion. Stated in anotherway, a large part of the consumer's buying decision is based upon theappearance of the shoe. As a result, shoe manufacturers spend a greatdeal of time and money in making their shoes look attractive toconsumers—the manufacturers want consumers to see the product. But forall of this, shoes are almost always hidden in a shoebox.

As noted, the foregoing is but one example of some shortcomings oftraditional, paper-based packaging. There is a real need for improvedpackaging containers.

The present invention provides the benefits of a traditional fiberboardshoebox with a see-through display container that overcomes the problemsin the prior art, and at the same time provides substantial marketingand product promotion advantages for whatever product might be held inthe container. To name a few examples of the advantages that theinventive package provides, the container actually helps promote theproduct held within the container and increase sales by presenting theproduct in a container that the consumer can see through. Since thecontainer includes a see-through portion, other consumers will be ableto see what the purchaser has purchased.

The invention illustrated and described herein is a hybrid containerfabricated from a combination of fiberboard and plastic that may be usedas a package for many different objects. The structural features of theinvention and the manner in which the inventive package is formed makethe container useful in numerous industries for innumerable goods.Nonetheless, the package of the present invention is described belowwith particular reference to its use as a container for footwear. Whilethe description of the invention sometimes focuses on a footwearcontainer, it is to be understood that the principles of the inventionapply to the container used for other purposes, and that the inventionis not limited to use as a footwear container, but is instead limitedonly by the appended claims.

In a preferred embodiment the present invention comprises a shoecontainer formed of a corrugated base with a clear or translucentplastic lid portion that is formed such that a pair of shoes fits intothe interior of the container and is visible through the container. Thecontainer may be formed in any size to accommodate any sized shoe.

The base of the container is formed from a blank and the lid portion ispreferably a clear plastic material that is thermoformed in a one-piececonfiguration that includes then attaches securely to the base. Thepackage is formed in a manner that results in a strong container thatprotects items contained therein. The container combines the bestfunctional attributes of an all-fiberboard box, including strength anddurability, with the added benefits of a clear top so the shoe may beviewed at the retail level by the consumer without having to open thecontainer.

The corrugated base may be utilized for printing conventional graphicsand the like, and the plastic lid may also be emblazoned with logos andthe like. The lid of the container may be formed of many different typesof plastics, including plastics containing significant levels ofrecycled materials, and of course the corrugated based may bemanufactured using recycled fiber. The plastic lid portion may becolored to match the color scheme that the manufacturer has selected forthe shoe, and the color of the container may thus be combined into amarketing plan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects andadvantages will be apparent by reference to the following detaileddescription of the invention when taken in conjunction with thefollowing drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first illustrated embodiment of acontainer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the container of FIG. 1, taken alongthe line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective, partially cut away and exploded view of thecontainer of FIG. 1, showing the lid removed from the base.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the corrugated blank used to form the baseof the container, illustrating the various fold and cut lines and cutouts.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating assembly of the corrugated blank shown inFIG. 4 into the base of the container.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the hinge portion of the lid,illustrating the lid in the open position and, in dashed lines, in theclosed position.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 6 showing the hingesection.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the lid of the container.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the lid of the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the container of the present invention isshown in FIGS. 1 through 9. The invention is principally describedherein with respect to an exemplary design intended for use withfootwear such as athletic shoes. However, the invention as defined inthe appended claims is not limited to a container for shoes, and thoseof ordinary skill in the art will instead recognize that the inventionapplies to containers for any kind of goods. In this specification,relative directional terms such as upward and downward are made withreference to the container as it would rest with its base on a groundplane. Directional terms such as inward and outward are made withreference to the container. Thus, “inward” refers to the directiontoward the geometric center of the container, and “outward” refers tothe direction away from the center of the container.

With reference to FIG. 1, container 10 is formed in two body halves,namely a base 12 and an attached lid 14. In the most preferredembodiment, base 12 is formed of corrugated liner board—i.e., sometimesreferred to as cardboard—and lid 14 is formed of a clear plastic sheetthermoformed into the desired configuration and dimensions. It will beappreciated that the base 12 may just as well be formed of othermaterials, including for example corrugated plastic material and otherplastics, fiberboard of various types, etc. It will further beappreciated that the lid 14 may be fabricated from a variety of kinds ofplastics. Ideally, both the base 12 and lid 14 are manufactured from asmuch recycled materials as practical. As used herein, the term“fiberboard” refers to corrugated liner board and non-corrugated paperboard.

It is often desirable to print text and graphics on the corrugatedmaterial to identify the contents of the container, and to providemarketing information and provide a more attractive package. Coatingsmay be applied over the printed corrugated material in order to minimizeink transfer, scuffing, and ink bleeding, etc. The coatings may be aplastic laminate such as a polypropylene sheet, which is applied to thecorrugated after the sheet has been printed. Similarly, the coating maybe an aqueous coating material that is applied as a liquid over thesheet with a printer roller inline when the sheet is being printed.

The manner in which the lid attaches to the base is detailed below. Fromreview of FIG. 1 it is apparent that the lid is hinged to the baseacross the upper rear edge of the base with a hinge referred togenerally with reference number 18. A joint 16 extends diagonally acrossthe lateral end panels (20 and 22) of the container between the base andthe lid when container 10 is closed. More specifically, with referenceto FIG. 2, the joint 16 between base 12 and lid 14 extends in a diagonaldirection extending generally from the hinge 18 at the upper edge ofrear wall 27 of base 12, across the lateral side walls (one of which isillustrated in FIG. 2 and is given reference number 20) and to the frontwall 25 of base 12. It will be understood that since the ends of thecontainer are bisected by the diagonal joint 16, the lateral end walls22 and 24 comprise a portion of both the base 12 and lid 14.

As will further be apparent from FIG. 2, the hinge 18 lies entirelywithin and interiorly of the intersection of the planes defined by therear wall 27 of base 12 and the upper panel 28 of lid 12. Hence, therear panel, top panel and base panel are entirely planar with noobstructions extending beyond the planar sections. This allows thecontainer 10 to be stacked stably on any of those three panels.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, lid 14 is attached to base 12 with a series ofthree tabs 26 that interconnect with cooperatively formed openings inthe rear wall 27 of base 12. The structure and operation of thesefeatures will be detailed below. First, however, the lid and the baseare detailed.

With continuing reference to FIG. 3, lid 14 comprises a monolithicthermoformed clear member formed in a single sheet according tothermoforming technologies. The lid includes a top panel 28 and a frontpanel 30 and a pair of opposed, generally triangularly shaped sidepanels 33. The side panels 33 slope from a rear edge 40 of the lid to alower edge portion of the front panel 30. An angular panel 32 mayoptionally be formed between top panel 28 and front panel 30. A closureflap 34 extends laterally across the lower edge 36 of front panel 30 andincludes two closure tabs 38 that project outwardly, toward the front ofthe container. As best seen in FIG. 2, the outer, exposed surface of theclosure tabs 38 is angled outwardly to define a ramp surface, whichallows the closure flap 34 and closure tabs 38 to be slid easily intoengagement with the base.

The three tabs 26 are integrally formed with the lid 14 and are attachedat regular spacing intervals along the rearward edge 40 of lid 14 anddepend downwardly from the rear edge. Each of the three tabs 26 isidentical in construction and in combination, the three tabs serve toattach the lid to the base and to define a hinge that allows the lid tobe easily opened and closed to open and close the container. It will bereadily appreciated that while three tabs 26 are shown in the drawingsand described herein, there may be a greater or lesser number of tabsdepending upon the size of the particular container.

Each tab 26 is defined by a downwardly extending main panel 42. In thecentral portion of main panel 42 is an inwardly projecting boss 44 thatis generally rectangular in shape with rounded corners. As bestillustrated in the cross sectional view of FIG. 2, the joints where thetabs 26 are attached to the rear edge 40 of lid 14 is defined by agenerally C-shaped section 46 that defines a living hinge 48. Becausethe plastic material used to fabricate lid 14 is resilient, the C-shapedsection 46 that defines living hinge 48 allows the hinges to be “cycled”many times. In other words, when the container 10 is assembled the lidmay be opened and closed many times without damaging the living hinge.Inwardly projecting “in-drafts” 50 are formed near the outer lateraledges of lid 14 along the upper rear edge thereof to strengthen the lid.The diagonal edges of the lid that extend between the rear edge 40 andthe lower front edge 36 are defined by inverted U-shaped channels 52,the function of which are detailed below.

Turning now to FIG. 4, the base 12 will be described. As noted earlier,base 12 is preferably although not necessarily fabricated fromcorrugated with a high percentage of recycled fiber. The base 12 is madefrom a blank 60 that is cut and folded to form the base. In theillustration of FIG. 4, fold lines are shown in dashed lines and cutlines are shown in solid lines. A double fold line is shown in a doubledashed line. The centermost panel or base panel 62 of blank 60 in FIG. 4defines the base of the container 10. A first rear panel 64 is attachedto base panel 62 at a fold line 66 and two elongate openings 68 areformed along the length of the fold line 66. A second rear panel 70 isattached to first rear panel 64 at a double fold line 72. Three elongateopenings 74 are formed along the length of fold line 72 and threerectangular openings 76 are formed generally in the central portion ofsecond rear panel 70 aligned with the elongate openings. As detailedbelow, the positions of three elongate openings 74 and three rectangularopenings 76 correspond to the locations of the three tabs 26 on lid 14and cooperate with the tabs to attach the lid 14 to base 12. A pair ofelongate tabs 78 is formed on the outer edge 80 of second rear panel 70.

A first front panel 82 is attached to base panel 62 at a fold line 84and a pair of elongate openings 86 is formed along fold line 84. Asecond front panel 88 is attached to first front panel 82 at a doublefold line 90. Second front panel 88 includes two openings 89. A thirdpanel 92 is attached to the second front panel 88 at a fold line 94.Fold line 94 includes two cut portions 96 that define tabs, as detailedbelow. Each of the three outer, peripheral edges of third panel 92,labeled 98, 100 and 102, includes a pair of indented cut out portionslabeled 98 a, 98 b, 100 a, 100 b, and 102 a, 102 b, respectively.

A first side panel 104 is attached to base panel 62 at a fold line 106and a pair of elongate openings 108 is formed along the fold line. Asecond side panel 110 is attached to first side panel 104 at anangularly extending double fold line 112. The outer edge 114 of secondside panel 110 includes a pair of tabs 116. The rearward edge 118 offirst side panel 104 is separated from a first rear flap panel 120 at acut line 122. First rear flap panel 120 is attached to first rear panel64 at a fold line 124.

A first side panel 126 is attached to the opposite lateral edge of basepanel 62 at a fold line 128 and a pair of elongate openings 130 isformed along the fold line 128. A second side panel 132 is attached tofirst side panel 126 at an angularly extending double fold line 134. Theouter edge 136 of second side panel 132 includes a pair of tabs 138. Therearward edge 140 of second side panel 126 is separated from a secondrear flap panel 142 at a cut line 144. Second rear flap panel 142 isattached to first rear panel 64 at a fold line 146. A pair of circularopenings 148 and 150 is formed in first side panel 126 and second sidepanel 132, respectively. These openings align in the finished, assembledcontainer to define an opening 101, which functions as a grab point, asdetailed below.

A first front flap 154 is attached at a fold line 156 to first sidepanel 104. First front flap 154 is separated from first front panel 82at a cut line 158. Likewise, on the opposite lateral side of blank 60, asecond front flap 160 is attached at a fold line 162 to first side panel126. Second front flap 160 is separated from first front panel 82 at acut line 162.

First and second rear flap panels 120 and 142 are mirror images of eachother. The outer peripheral edges of the panels define a first cut outsection 170 and a second cut out section 172.

Assembly of base 12 will now be described with reference to FIG. 5,which includes various arrows to indicate how the blank 60 shown in FIG.4 is folded to assemble the base. Although the process for assembly ofbase 12 described below is in a particular sequence, it will beappreciated that the steps need not be done in the order stated.

Panels 110 and 132 are folded at double fold lines 112 and 134,respectively, over the respective adjacent panels 104 and 124. This isshown with arrows A in FIG. 5. Tabs 116 on edge 114 of panel 110 areinserted into openings 108 at the fold line 106, and tabs 138 areinserted into openings 130 along fold line 128. Opening 150 on panel 132and opening 148 on panel 126 align to define a through opening 101 intothe base 12 of container 10. Opening 101 defines a grab-point so that asingle container 10 may be withdrawn from a stack of containers.

Front flaps 154 and 160 are then folded at fold lines 156 and 162,respectively, in the direction shown by arrows B so that the flaps alignwith fold line 84. Third panel 94 is next folded inwardly such that thepanel covers base panel 62, as illustrated with arrow C. As this isdone, first front panel 82 folds at fold line 84 and second front panel88 folds at double fold line 90 to form the front wall 25 of the base;tabs 96 are engaged in openings 86 to secure front wall 25 remains in anupright position and front flaps 154 and 160 are captured between thefirst and second front panels. Third panel 94 is held in place on basepanel 62 by virtue of the various tabs and cut outs around the peripheryof the panel, such as cut outs 98 a, 98 b, which are engaged by tabs116, and cut outs 102 a and 102 b, which are engaged by tabs 138. Tabs96 likewise engage elongate openings 86 to secure front wall 25.

Next, rear flap panels 120 and 142 are folded at fold lines 124 and 146,respectively so that the edges defined by cut lines 122 and 144 alignwith fold line 66. When this is done, cut outs 170 and 172 align to formnotches on the forming rear panel of the base. First rear panel 64 isfolded upwardly at fold line 66 and second rear panel is folded inwardlyand over rear flap panels 120 and 142 in the direction of arrow D toform the rear wall 27 of the base 12. Tabs 78 are inserted in openings68 and cut outs 100 a and 100 b to secure the rear panel and the bottompanel. Rectangular openings 76 are at this point located in an overlyingposition relative to the notches defined by cut outs 170 and 172.

When assembled in this manner, base 12 is a strong and secure containerbase 12 as shown in FIG. 3. Given the structure of the blank 60, eachwall or panel of base 12 is a double layer of corrugated material. Giventhe various tabs and cut outs described above, the base is very secure,although it may be disassembled if necessary. With reference now toFIGS. 6 and 7, the hinge 48 is shown in detail. In FIG. 6 the relativeopen and closed positions of lid 14 are shown in sold and dashed lines,with the arrow A illustrating the relative positions of the lid. As maybe seen in FIG. 7, which illustrates the lid in the closed position, theC-shaped section 46 of hinge 18 is slightly compressed when the lid isclosed. Since the plastic material is resilient, this compression doesnot damage the hinge and the lid may be opened and closed repeatedly.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that thebase may be fabricated in many different structural configurationswithout departing from the scope of the invention. For example, thethird panel 92 of the base is described above as a “roll-over” panelthat completely covers the base panel 62 in the assembled base. Basepanel 92 may of a different size, and may even be omitted. Similarly,the angled side panels are defined by folded-over double-layer panels(i.e., first side panel 104 and second side panel 110). The second sidepanel may be omitted.

With returning reference to FIG. 3, attachment of lid 14 to base 12 willbe described. The rear wall 27 of base 12 is defined by panels 64 and70, with flaps 120 and 142 captured therebetween. Because the flaps 120and 142 are captured between the panels 64 and 70, the notches 170 and172 defined in flaps 120 and 142 are aligned with rectangular openings76. Elongate openings 74 in double fold line 72 are also aligned withnotches 170 and 172 and with rectangular openings 76. To assemble lid 14with base 12, tabs 26 are inserted into and through elongate openings74. The elongate openings 74 are narrower in width than bosses 44 andthe rectangular openings 76 are cooperatively shaped with bosses 44 anddesigned to accept the bosses. Because base 12 is corrugated fiberboard,the openings 74 may be expanded to allow insertion of bosses 44 throughthe openings. As the lid 14 is pressed downwardly toward base 12, bosses44 pop into rectangular openings 76 and the elongate openings 74 closeto their original positions, thereby capturing the bosses 44 in openings76. Once the bosses are captured in the rectangular openings 76, the lidis firmly attached to the base and cannot easily be removed. Thelowermost arm of the C-shaped section 46 of hinge 48 rests on the upperedge 103 of rear wall 27 (FIG. 2).

With lid 14 attached to base 12 as described, the inverted U-shapedchannels 52 that extend along diagonal joints 16 are in a position tonest over the upper edges 105 of side walls 20 and 22. The width of theU-shaped channels is sized to be roughly the same as or slightlynarrower than the width of the side walls. As such, when the U-shapedchannels are slid onto the upper edges of the side walls, the channelsslip over the upper edges and thus-engage the upper edges of the sidewalls. This results in the lid—being secured snugly to the base. Theinverted U-shaped channels 52 thus assist in locating the base and lidwith respect to one another when closed together, and assist inretaining the lid and base in the closed position. The U-shaped channelsthus prevent relative movement between the base and the lid andstabilize the container in the lateral direction. Stated another way,when the U-shaped channels are engaged over the upper edges of the sidewalls, the lid may not be moved from side to side relative to the base.This gives the assembled container significant lateral strength.

As the lid 14 is moved from the open position to the closed position,closure flap 34 is slid behind (i.e., inwardly of) panel 82 of frontwall 25. This is best illustrated in FIG. 2. Because the lower surfaceof the closure tabs 38 is sloped upwardly, the closure tabs slide easilydown the interior surface of the front wall 25 until the closure tabssnap into openings 89 in panel 82. At the point where the closure tabssnap into openings 89, the lower edge 35 of closure flap 34 abuts thepanel 92. Because the upper surface of the closure tabs is horizontal,the tabs are retained in the openings 89 and prevent the lid fromopening. Nonetheless, the lid is easily opened by pushing the frontpanel 30 inwardly to disengage the closure tabs from the openings,thereby allowing the lid to be opened. Since the lid 14 is plastic andfairly resilient, the front panel 30 is easily pushed inwardly in thismanner. Because the lower edge 35 of closure flap 34 rests on panel 92when the lid is closed, the lid has substantial compression strength andwill not crush even when the container is in a stack with many othercontainers or other materials on top of it.

With specific reference now to FIG. 3, the interior of container 10defines an article-holding space 110 that is configured to hold articlessuch as a pair of shoes without regard to any particular orientation ofthe shoes relative to one another. Continuing with the example of a pairof shoes, the shoes in the pair may thus be oriented in a toe-to-heelorientation, or any other orientation to display the shoes to consumers.

Lid 14 of container 10 is preferably fabricated from a clear material sothat goods held within the container are plainly visible through thecontainer panels. As used herein, the word “clear” refers to anytransparent or translucent material used to fabricate the container andthrough which the interior of the container may be seen. Many materialsmay be used to fabricate the container. These include numerous grades ofPET (polyethylene terephthalate), high density polyethylene (HDPE), lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), and vinyls such as various grades ofpolyvinyl chloride (PVC). Those or ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the material selected will depend upon the structural andcosmetic requirements of the particular package. The polymers used tomanufacture lid 14 may include modifier compounds such as softeners,impact modifiers and the like, depending upon the application. In apreferred embodiment the material selected for manufacturing thecontainer will include a high percentage of recycled material.

The material used to form lid 14 may be clear, colored, or and anycombination of coloring may be used. Moreover, portions of the containermay be opaque so long as at least some of the container is clear todisplay the contents. The lid of the present invention is preferablyformed using a thermoforming processes whereby a blank of material isheated and pulled into a tool or mold and shaped, for instance with avacuum, to form the lid.

Again with reference to use of container 10 as a container for shoes,preferably the package is sized such that one container will fit severaldifferent sizes of shoes. Thus, as one example, a blank container 10 maybe designed to hold a specific style of shoes (such as athletic shoes)in the size range of men's sizes 7 to 9 (in the traditional U.S. sizingsystem), and also women's athletic shoes in sizes 9 to 11. The container10 described above provides the advantage of allowing the consumer toview the contents of the container, and it is close enough in size tostandard shoe boxes that it may be used without modification to theexisting shoe distribution, warehousing and sale infrastructure.

The blank 60 lies flat prior to assembly and may thus be shipped inlarge quantities with relatively little shipping space required. Thewalls of the lid 14 are angled slightly so that the lids may be nestedwith other lid for ease of shipping and to minimize the space requiredfor shipping many empty containers. It will be appreciated that withthis configuration many lids may be shipped to a manufacturing facilityin a minimal amount of space

Those of skill in the art will further recognize the many differentshapes that can be used to define a container equivalent to thecontainer described herein. Importantly, the base of the container couldbe made with horizontal side edges as are found on typical shoe boxes,thus eliminating the angled side edges described above. The lid of thiscontainer would be attached to the base in the same manner describedabove, and the lid would have the same closure mechanisms and U-shapedchannels along the side edges. To name but a few additional examples,the container could be formed with a handle, and the article-receivingspace inside of the container may be designed to conform more uniquelyto a specific article. Moreover, in the preferred embodiment thecontainer is roughly equivalent in size and shape to a standard shoeboxfor holding a pair of shoes of similar size. In this way the containerof the present invention is accommodated easily into existing footwearmanufacturing, distribution and sales infrastructure.

While the present invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill that thespirit and scope of the invention is not limited to those embodiments,but extend to the various modifications and equivalents as defined inthe appended claims.

1. A container, comprising: a container base of fiberboard, said basehaving a bottom panel, a rear panel, a front panel and opposed lateralside panels; a container lid of clear plastic, said lid having a toppanel, a front panel and opposed lateral side panels, wherein the lid issized to matingly engage the container base in a closed position todefine an interior space for receiving an article, the container lidfurther including plural container base-engaging members connected at arear portion of the lid top panel, wherein the base-engaging membersinterconnect the lid to the base and define a hinge so that the lid maybe moved between an open position and a closed position.
 2. Thecontainer according to claim 1 wherein each base-engaging member isfurther defined by a boss that engages an opening in the container baseto thereby secure the lid to the base.
 3. The container according toclaim 2 wherein the rear panel of the base comprises at least two layersof fiberboard and the innermost layer defines openings for receiving thebosses.
 4. The container according to claim 3 wherein the rear paneldefines an upper edge and for each base-engaging member on the lid thereis an elongate opening formed in the upper edge of the rear panel, saidelongate opening defining a passageway between the innermost layer andthe adjacent layer of the base into which the base-engaging member isreceived.
 5. The container according to claim 4 wherein the lateral sidepanels of the lid slope angularly from the rear portion of the lid tothe front panel and wherein when the lid is in the closed position theopposed lateral side panels of the lid mate with the lateral side panelsof the base along a joint that extends diagonally across the lateralside panels from the hinge to the front panel.
 6. The containeraccording to claim 5 in which the lateral side panels of the lid furthercomprise U-shaped channel sections that engage the lateral side panelsof the base to prevent relative movement between the base and the lid.7. The container according to claim 1 wherein the front panel of the lidincludes a lower edge and plural tabs extending outwardly relative tothe interior space and the front panel of the base includes pluralopenings in locations to receive the tabs on the front panel of the lid,and wherein when the lid is in the closed position the lower edge of thelid rests on the bottom panel of the container base.
 8. The containeraccording to claim 7 wherein the plural tabs define closure means forsecuring the lid to the base in the closed position.
 9. A containerdefining an interior space for containing an article, comprising: afiberboard base comprising a base panel, a front panel and a rear panelthat has a greater height than the front panel, and opposed side panelshaving upper edges that slope from an upper edge of the rear panel to anupper edge of the front panel; a thermoformed monolithic clear plasticlid comprising: a top panel; a front panel; opposed side panels, eachside panel having an lower edge that slopes from a rear portion of thetop panel to a lower portion of the front panel, and each lower edgedefining a U-shaped channel, and at least two base-engaging membersextending from a rear portion of the top panel and configured forattaching the lid to the base and for defining a hinge between the lidand the base; and wherein when the lid is in a closed position theU-shaped channel portions of the side panels of the lid engage the upperedges of the side panels of the base to stabilize the lid relative tothe base.
 10. The container according to claim 9 wherein thebase-engaging members further each define a main panel that is connectedto the lid at a living hinge, and a boss formed in the main panel suchthat the boss projects toward the interior space.
 11. The containeraccording to claim 10 wherein the rear panel of the base furthercomprises two layers of fiberboard and an upper edge, wherein an openingis formed in the upper edge to define a passageway through the upperedge into a space between the two layers of fiberboard and to receiveeach of the at least two base-engaging members in the space.
 12. Thecontainer according to claim 11 wherein the two layers of fiberboarddefine an inner layer and an outer layer, and wherein the inner layerfurther includes boss openings configured to receiving each of the atleast two bosses on the base-engaging members.
 13. The containeraccording to claim 12 wherein the lid is attached to the base with thebase-engaging members received in the space with the bosses received inthe boss openings.
 14. The container according to claim 13 wherein thefront panel of the lid includes an outwardly projecting tab along alower edge portion thereof, and the front panel of the base includes anopening along an inner surface thereof in a position corresponding tothe outwardly projecting tab so that the outwardly projecting tabengages opening when the lid is in a closed position.
 15. The containeraccording to claim 14 including plural outwardly projecting tabs along alower edge portion of the front panel, and plural openings along theinner surface of the front panel of the base, each opening positioned toengage a tab when the lid is in the closed position.
 16. A container,comprising: a fiberboard base; a plastic lid attached to the base andsized to engage the base to define a container having a top panel,bottom panel, front panel, back panel and opposed lateral side panels,wherein the lid includes plural base-engaging members at a rear edgeportion of the lid, each of the base-engaging members attachable to thebase to secure the lid to the base.
 17. The container according to claim16 wherein the back panel comprises at least two layers of fiberboardand wherein each of the base-engaging members is captured between thetwo layers of fiberboard.
 18. A container, comprising: a fiberboardbase; a plastic lid attached to the base and sized to engage the base todefine a container having a top panel, bottom panel, front panel, backpanel and opposed lateral side panels, and attachment means for securingthe lid to the base.
 19. The container according to claim 18 wherein theattachment means further comprises plural base-engaging membersconnected to a rear edge portion of the lid, wherein the fiberboard basehas at least an inner layer and an outer layer with a spacetherebetween, an upper edge, and plural openings in the upper edge, eachopening defining a passageway into the space, and wherein eachbase-engaging member is received into one of the plural openings. 20.The container according to claim 19 wherein each base-engaging memberfurther comprises a boss and wherein the boss is received in an openingin the inner layer of the base.